Integrated Systems for the West Texas High Plains V.G. Allen, P. Brown and R. Kellison Texas Tech University ®

 Declining water quantity & quality  Growing global demand for food and feeds  Global warming  Increased pressure on agricultural lands Water Challenges ®

The Ogallala Aquifer  Provides 30% of total withdrawals from all US aquifers Texas High Plains  Over 95% of the water pumped is for irrigated agriculture  Future Constraints:  Government regulation  Municipal uses  Water quality  Energy costs

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Decline in Water Level 15 Counties around Lubbock, TX Recharge Source: High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, The Cross Section, April 2007 ®

Projected Total Water Demand and Water Supplies Livestock Irrigation Steam-electric Manufacturing County-other Municipal Mining Existing supplies Needs Source: Texas Water Development Board 2007 ®

Regional Economic Impact  Total Industry Output: $ 26.8 billion  Ag Related Output: $ 10.8 billion Agriculture: 40% of Total ®

Texas High Plains Agriculture ®

Irrigated Crops  Over 4 million ac irrigated crops – 70% of total net crop revenue  Water source - Ogallala Aquifer  Virtually finite water source New Mexico Texas Oklahoma Kansas Nebraska Colorado South Dakota Wyoming

Monocultures Economy of Scale ® 20 – 25 % of U.S. Total

Monocultures Integrated Systems Complimentarity Diversification ®

Designing Integrated Systems Brain Storming Previous Research Researchable Needs Producer Experience Funding Opportunities Resources Available Team Approach ®

Advisory Council Rick Kellison, Chair Silver Creek Farm, Lockney, TX Curtis Griffith City Bank, Lubbock, TX Harry Hamilton Harry Hamilton and Associates,Lubbock, TX Minnie Lou Bradley Bradley 3 Ranch Memphis, TX Tom Sell Lubbock, TX Steve Verett Plains Cotton Growers, Inc., Lubbock, TX Eddie Teeter Producer, Lockney, TX Jim Conkwright High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, Lubbock, TX ®

Monoculture Cotton Texas High Plains Experience Two systems - irrigated Rye Integrated Crop-Livestock Cotton Wheat Fallow Rye Old world bluestem ®

System Irrigation ®

Nitrogen Fertilization ®

Economics

Net Returns over Variable Cost per acre inch of water ®

Results  Irrigation use  Soil erosion  Nitrogen fertilizer use  Energy required Reduced  Profitability  Carbon sequestration  Soil microbial activity  Diversification of income  Management skills Increased ®

Photo by: Neal Hinkle Texas Tech University

New Directions ® Ethanol Dairy Renewable energy

® Corn, Alfalfa, Small Grains

3000 Head Milking Cow Dairy Annual feed and water required  Feed (all types): 44,686 tons  Land to produce: 6,348 ac  Water required per year: –Irrigation: 2.3 billion gallons –Animal Consumption: 67 million gallons Source: Southwest Plains Dairy Directory (2007) ®

Senate Bill 1053 Senator Robert Duncan Texas Water Development Board $6.2 Million Funded through the Texas Water Development Board Texas Alliance for Water Conservation ‘Water is Our Future’ ®

Objectives of Project  Reduce Total Water Use  Enhance System Profitability  Identify Systems that meet objectives 1 &2  Understand system behavior ®

Producer Board Glen Schur, Chair Plainview, TX Boyd Jackson, Co-Chair Lockney, TX Brian Teeple, Secretary Floydada, TX Keith Phillips Lockney, TX Lanney Bennett Plainview, TX Eddie Teeter Lockney, TX Mark Beedy Floydada, TX Jeff Don Terrell Floydada, TX Jody Foster Lockney, TX ®

A Cooperative Venture with TWDB NRCS & ARS Texas Tech University

Texas Alliance for Water Conservation ‘Water is Our Future’

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Crops/Livestock (Total 4,300 acres) Corn Cotton Monocultures Grain Sorghum Cotton Cotton-CattleGrass-cattleGrass seed

Site Monitoring  Data logger  Satellite Telemetry  Rainfall Tipping Bucket  Temperature Sensor  Water Flow Meter  System Pressure Sensor  Solar Panel with backup battery  Neutron Probe Access tubes ®

Irrigation Methods Pivot Drip Flood Dryland

Crops/Forage/Livestock Grown TAWC Sites ®

Irrigation Water, System Inches ®

Nitrogen Fertilizer per System Acre, lbs ®

Net Returns per System Acre, $ ®

Returns (US $) per inch Irrigation Water System ®

Site  Field 1  Corn silage  Field 2 (double cropped)  Forage triticale  Sorghum silage ®

Site #20 – Yield and net returns ($) ®

Site #20 – Irrigation ®

Energy - Site 20 Forage (MJ/Ac) YieldFertilizerIrrigation Field Ops.TotalPer Ton Corn Silage29.5 Tons9,8804, , Sorghum Silage26.4 Tons4,9391, , Triticale21.3 Tons2,4531, , ®

Cotton Monocultures (2 sites) Energy (MJ/Ac) YieldFertilizerIrrigationChem.TotalPer Bale Drip Irrigated4.1 Bales Sprinkler Irrigated2.2 Bales ®

Meeting the Challenges  Technologies  Unintended consequences  Economics  Environmental costs - index  Unique region  Long-term funding  Interdisciplinary teams  Integrating the pieces  Disseminating the information  Long-term systems research  Farm Programs ®